The Katherine Condundrum
by Meissa6
Summary: Katherine wanted a summer away from the glitz and glam of being Kate Love, Top Hit singer. Instead of relaxation, she was given a road trip to Texas with her younger sister, and the mysterious Cullen kids. She had always prided herself on her curious nature, but will that curiosity lead her straight to her grave? Only time will tell.


**Title:** The Katherine Conundrum

 **Author:** Meissa6

 **Summary:** Katherine wanted a summer away from the glitz and glam of being Kate Love, Top Hit singer. Instead of relaxation, she was given a road trip to Texas with her younger sister, and the mysterious Cullen kids. She had always prided herself on her curious nature, but will that curiosity lead her straight to her grave? Only time will tell.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not, nor will ever, own the Twilight Saga, or any of its characters and plots. However, I do own any characters mentioned in this story that are not mentioned in the Twilight books, namely Katherine.

* * *

Chapter One: Arrival In Forks & Meeting The Cullens

* * *

Intro:

Close your eyes. Great. Now, imagine you are standing on a stage in front of thousands of people. Each of them, young and old, big and small, are looking directly at you. There is adoration in their eyes. Their mouths move, mimicking yours, as you sing the words of the song you originally wrote for your little sister. You can see the tears of joy trickling down their faces. You can see the love shining in their eyes. In that moment, you realize that you hold each of their hearts in your hand. You can only smile as they sway from side to side, hypnotized at the sight of you. You feel the rush as they chant your name. You feel the adrenaline fill your veins as you dance, and spin, and sing with everything you have. You feel like the sun, and they are the planets, dancing around you in an eternal orbit. This feeling lasts until you are on the plane, traveling far away from all of the lights and crowds. You are disguised, your face clean of makeup, and your natural blonde hair dyed to a light brown. Your glamorous outfits are transformed into holey jeans, graphic tees, and dirty converses. Nobody recognizes you as you walk through the airport. You are nobody. You are just another face in the crowd. You can finally relax.

* * *

I felt relief at the upcoming summer of fun and rest away from the constant spotlight and cameras.

Though fame was not something I would spit upon, it was a constant reminder that I was treated almost like royalty by my fans. Being at the top was more lonely than when I was sitting in my room out in Phoenix, strumming away on my guitar, and singing songs that I wrote to Bella.

It had taken quite a bit of trouble to convince my agency, Young Stars Inc., to leave my family out of the limelight. None of them had wanted the fame, preferring to support me from the comfort and anonymity of their own homes. I hadn't blamed them, and had actually done my best to keep any mention of my family to a bare minimum.

Except for the very few that knew me personally, nobody realized that 'Kate Love' was actually Katherine Swan.

* * *

"Katie!" Bella exclaimed at the sight of me, and I fought the urge to look around for paparazzi.

She didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, Bells." I said to my younger sister.

I didn't hug her, knowing that she had really been a touchy person.

"Who's this?" I asked, looking to the bronze-haired boy next to her.

He was beautiful, so much that I felt slightly self-conscious. His skin was paler than snow, and without any sort of blemish or mark. His eyes were a butterscotch color. He gazed at me with far too much intelligence to not know exactly who I was. Thankfully, he either wasn't a fan, or knew how to keep a low profile.

"Hello. I'm Edward." He greeted, his tone polite, but somewhat distant.

"Edward's my fiance." Bella informed me at my confused glance.

I lifted my eyebrows at her.

"I wasn't aware you liked boys." I teased lightly.

She blushed a deep red.

"Well, I want you to meet his family, so we were planning to stop at his house before we went to Charlie's... if you're not too tired, that is. I know it was a long flight."

Trust Bella to have her compassionate side come out, even after not seeing each other for about two years. I shrugged, absently twirling a strand of my newly-dyed hair around my fingers.

My blue eyes strayed from them to two girls nearby, who were staring at me with far too much intensity.

"We should go." Edward suggested, also looking at the girls.

* * *

On that note, we hightailed it out of there. I was grateful that I had thought to send my bags ahead, so I only had a small carry-on, which I tossed into the backseat of Edward's Volvo before I got in.

"Is Charlie at work?" I asked Bella after we had all settled into the car.

She shook her head, glancing back at me.

"You know how he is." Was all she said before we were off.

The ride to Edward's house was spent with Bella filling me in on all that had happened since I last saw her two years ago. Apparently, she had decided that living with Renee and Phil was holding them back from traveling, which I thought was completely idiotic until she pointed out that they had moved to southern Florida after she left. So, she moved in with Charlie, who welcomed her with open, if slightly awkward, arms.

She had met Edward and his family at school, and grew close to them not long after. There was a bit of silence before Bella revealed that Edward and his family had moved to California and, in a bit of romantic foolishness, she had chased after him after months of depression. She finally convinced them to move back, and got engaged to Edward.

"So, let me get this straight. You two got engaged after a year, give or take, of dating?" I asked.

Bella hid her red face in her hands while Edward chuckled.

"We just had a connection." He told me patiently.

I shook my head.

"Must be a great connection, considering you abandoned her for five months, give or take." I murmured.

Bella's head snapped up, and she gave me a frown, her flush fading from her cheeks.

"We're in love, Katherine." She said strongly.

I chose not to respond, gazing at her evenly.

After a few silent minutes, I began to tell her about my own adventures. I told her about my tour, how I traveled around the United States for two years. For quite a few weeks, it was a different city every night, but, even sleep-deprived, I had loved all of it. I thrived in the spotlight, and my sales had only increased the longer I spent on the road, until I was Number One on the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom. I was going on week forty three of being at the very top.

* * *

The ride was quick and, soon, we were pulling up to a large house that had the luxury of being a mansion with about half the size.

"Modest." I remarked as we approached the front door.

Edward gave a short laugh, while Bella lightly smacked my shoulder. I smiled at her innocently as Edward led us inside.

The interior of the house was just as beautiful as the exterior, and I found myself gazing around in awe at the simple, yet elegant touches. It was clear that whoever had designed this home had, not only a lot of money, but also a lot of designing genius.

Six people awaited us in the living room, and I came up short, unable to stop from staring at them. Like Edward, they were all almost inhumanly beautiful. Their skin matched his pale tone exactly, despite the fact that Bella had told them Dr. Cullen and Esme had adopted all of them.

"Ah, you must be Katherine." A woman with long, brown hair, and kind butterscotch eyes said, stepping forward.

Her hands were freezing as she cupped mine.

"I'm Mrs. Cullen, but you may call me Esme. I'm sure Bella and Edward told you all about us."

She sent a smile towards the two in question, while I gazed uncomprehendingly at her.

Someone had to be a complete idiot not to realize that something was off about them. Why did they each look so similar, yet so different at the same time?

* * *

I was so lost in my own confusion that I didn't realize that Esme had released me, or that Bella was speaking.

"-is Jasper."

My eyes lifted to the boy she was motioning to. He had wavy blonde hair that was slightly more gold than Carlisle's. Out of all of the males, it was he that appealed to my senses the most.

My heart fluttered in my chest when he lifted his eyes from the floor. Tingles danced over my skin as his eyes moved up my body slowly until they met mine. The moment our eyes met, my entire world seemed to fall away. I felt warmth rush through my body, but I couldn't move. I was trapped in his gaze. The sound of my pulse echoed in my ears, drowning out Bella's voice. His eyes were darker than the others', appearing to be a dark golden brown.

The room swirled around us and, suddenly, we were no longer standing in the living room, but on a field. Our eyes never disconnected, but I could see the flickers of flames out of the corner of my eyes, and I smelt ash and something far too sweet to be fuel. I swore I heard animalistic growls coming from behind me. Then, Jasper blinked, looking away from me. The room snapped back into focus, and I felt myself sway.

"Hey, are you okay?" Emmett asked, looking ready to run forward and catch me.

Bella finally seemed to notice that something was wrong, stopping her ceaseless chatter, and turning to look at me.

"Katie, maybe you should sit down. You don't look so-" Bella cut off as my legs gave out.

Edward instantly caught me, his hands cold against my feverish skin. He helped me to the couch, and Carlisle moved to me, placing his hand against my forehead. I absently noticed that Jasper had left the room, though why I cared was beyond me.

"I'm fine. Just vertigo." I said, pulling away from Carlisle's hands.

He gave me a patient smile.

"Perhaps lack of sleep." He agreed, and moved back.

Bella sat down next to me.

* * *

There was a short silence before Esme began, "So, Bella told us that you like to travel."

I smiled, grateful for the distraction.

"Well, I had to do a lot of it, but I definitely like exploring new cities and such." I said.

Alice leaned forward from where she was perched on the arm of the love-seat, her golden eyes unnaturally focused.

"Me too!" She exclaimed, a bright smile on her face.

There was something darker, however, in her eyes.

"Have you ever been to Texas?"

Perhaps it was my imagination, but there appeared to be a deeper meaning to her question.

"Only around Dallas. Although, I hear Houston is nice this time of year." I answered, and something that I said made her tense up considerably.

"It is." She forced, her eyes on mine.

"You've been, then?" I asked, slightly uncomfortable with her stare, but unable to look away either.

She was oddly... fascinating.

"Of course. It is one of my favorite places to be." She replied.

I smiled.

"Well, perhaps I should visit one day." I said calmly.

Her eyes narrowed, focused solely on my face.

"It is a very dangerous place." She stated emotionlessly, and I heard the subtle threat in her words.

I lifted my eyebrows, unwilling to back down from her challenge despite the absurdity of the whole conversation. I barely realized that the others had gone really still and quiet.

"Haven't I already said that I am adventurous?" I asked, a chill in my voice that had only grown evident over the past few minutes.

She sat up straight, a flash of triumph in her eyes like she had just discovered my downfall.

"Curiosity killed the cat." She said simply, looking at me with such determination that I had to wonder if she had just threatened my life.

"If you're so concerned with my well-being, why don't you come with me to protect me?" I asked, the words slipping from my lips unbidden.

My face instantly heated with the insinuation.

* * *

Alice gazed at me, unnaturally still. I doubted that she was even still breathing until I saw the slight rise and fall of her chest.

"You can't go to Texas!" Bella exclaimed, breaking the tension that had fallen over the room.

I jumped slightly in surprise. For a moment, it had only been Alice and I, trapped in our tango of subtle threats and metaphors that I did not fully comprehend.

"Why not?" I finally asked, looking away from Alice to my younger sister.

She looked at a loss for words for a moment before she exclaimed, "People will recognize you! Besides, you just got here!"

I grinned at her.

"I'm wearing an intricate disguise, Bells. What could go wrong?" I teased.

She frowned at me while Edward and Emmett chuckled.

"What about Charlie?" She asked, her eyes flickering from me to Edward, and back again.

"It's not like you've never done a disappearing act." I pointed out, and she flushed with anger.

"You are going to have me disappear on him? I can't do that again! I'm not-" She cut off suddenly, looking away from my eyes.

My eyes narrowed. She shook her head as if to clear it, and looked at me again.

"Let me ask him, okay?" She sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

I smirked.

"Run home to get Daddy's permission." I teased, and she glared at me.

* * *

I looked from her to the Cullens, lifting my eyebrows.

"Well, who else is coming with us?" I asked.

They traded looks, and Alice was surprisingly the first to concede, "I'll come."

She refused to look at me when I glanced at her.

"Me!" Emmett shouted, fist bumping the air.

Next to him, Rosalie sighed in exasperation.

"We can't go." She reminded him. "University starts early."

He pouted, crossing his arms like a child.

"I'll go." Edward said, looking at Alice with a strange look on his face.

"Jasper'll come too." He added, looking at me.

My heart instantly started beating faster.

"Fine! We'll go too." Rosalie finally cried, glaring at Emmett.

"What about university?" Bella asked her, humor in her voice.

Rosalie blatantly ignored my sister's question, while Emmett shrugged his large shoulders.

"Screw university!" He shouted, and was instantly berated by Esme, "Language!"

He gave her a sheepish smile.

"Unfortunately, we will have to stay here. I trust that the five of you will behave." Carlisle said, looking between each of the Cullen kids.

Of course, Jasper was still missing, so he received four nods of acceptance.

I turned to Bella.

"Time to ask Charlie the question that may kill you." I said, and she rolled her eyes at my grave tone.

"I already did... when I asked for his blessing." Edward murmured, and I stifled a laugh when Bella glared at him.

* * *

Outro:

Open your eyes. You are standing at the edge of a cliff. Your bare toes dangle over the edge. Your hair ruffles in the wind. You look out over the sea, seeing nothing but waves until the moment the sky touches the water. You are far above sea level. Up here, you feel like you can fly. You lift her arms straight out to the sides, and imagine that you are flying. You imagine the wind pushing you ever higher until you believe you can touch heaven itself. You lean forward into the wind. A smile forms on your lips. You are carefree. Up here, you can be whomever you wish. You can be a bird, soaring high above the waves. You can be a plane, travelling at full speed through clouds. Most of all, you can be yourself. You barely feel yourself fall. You are not really falling, after all. You are a bird. You are a plane. You dive down towards the waves. You are unafraid of what lies below them, because you know you will never touch them. You know you will pull up at the last moment. You know you will fly. And, you do. Just before your head breeches the water, you shoot upwards. You fly just under the clouds, watching the crashing waves below.

* * *

 **AU: Please excuse any grammar and spelling mistakes. Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think of this.**


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